Abundant Life – Being a Pilgrim

“All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
John 10:8-10 NLT
“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].”
John 10:10 AMP

Before we start getting excited over the potential material benefits of a “rich and satisfying life” in the years we have left in this world, we should note that Jesus was referring to spiritual life. The parable of the Good Shepherd and His sheep created a wonderful picture of how God looks after us, and what He has to offer. The life that Jesus offered is eternal life, because He said in John 3:16, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”. Believing in Jesus will not mean we will live in our natural bodies forever, but He will provide a home for our souls eternally. Jesus told His disciples about eternal life in John 17:3, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent”. This is the abundant life that Jesus referred to in His Good Shepherd parable. We should also note that Jesus said, about our natural lives, in John 16:33, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world”. So, on the one hand we have our natural lives, and on the other our spiritual lives. How do we reconcile the two?

Our natural and spiritual lives are intertwined – one affects the other and vice versa. The conflict that can sometimes develop was summed up by Paul in Romans 7:21-24, “I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” Thankfully, Paul left us a legacy that saw through the dilemma we all face and he wrote, “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death” (Romans 7:25-8:2).

In the UK, established denominations are on the decline but where have all the believers gone? Other churches don’t see to have benefited greatly by picking up those who have left declining congregations. Have all these church members decided that they don’t believe anymore and so stay at home on a Sunday? I’m sure there is an element in that, but perhaps many Christians are instead waiting for the day when they cross the Great Divide and move on to eternal life, or so they hope, disillusioned by a denominational Christianity that doesn’t contain the abundant life Jesus promised. Perhaps many churches have become religious social clubs failing in their mission to the world, and failing in their relevance to a needy generation.

Perhaps there are pilgrims out there today who can relate to this lack of abundance in their own lives, so how can they remedy the situation? We of course turn once again to Jesus. he will refresh our souls. He will provide the living water from a well that never runs dry. He will even feed us the very bread of life, sustaining our souls on the journey to our promised land. We have much to thank Jesus for. Abundant life is within our grasp, but we have to reach out and apply it to us every day and in every situation we are likely to meet.

Dear Father God. Thank You for all of Heaven’s resources that are available to us. Life so abundantly is the norm in Your Kingdom and we are so grateful. Amen.

“In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.”
2 Peter 1:5-7 NLT

Just to recap, we have read in the two previous verses of how God’s power provides “everything we need for living a Godly life” through our knowledge of Him. This thought in itself must be sufficient to drive us pilgrims to a detailed study of the Bible with faithful prayer, enabling us to try to grab hold of God and all that He is. We need to know Him and know Him more. And in that knowledge we need to extract the resources that result in personal changes leading to the Godly life, that is so elusive at times. Peter also mentioned God’s “marvellous glory and excellence”, attributes of God that have driven His gifts of promises, “great and precious promises” into our sphere of knowledge. Meditation on these promises elevates us above the “world’s corruption caused by human desires”.

So, Peter continues in his communication, looking forward into a practical application of God’s power and promises. On the foundation of a knowledge of God, Peter encourages his readers to do something. His advice might sound a bit radical to a Christian today, to encourage a personal life-change, or even to cast aside preconceived notions of who God is, so that this new knowledge of Him can turn us into the person God wants us to be. Has anyone ever noticed the number of times a Scripture has been read, only for it to disclose the next time something about God that we didn’t know or had forgotten, something that explodes into our minds and spirits anew, bringing a revelation of Him that threatens to blow apart our pre-conceived assumptions?

But Peter continues with the exhortation “make every effort to …”. This isn’t an optional, if-you-feel-like-it type of suggestion, but an instruction that we cannot avoid or rationalise our way out of. If we pilgrims accept that the Scriptures are inspired by the Holy Spirit, then this is something we must do. And to do it, we must apply the life-changing process of increasing our knowledge of God.

Peter assumes that our faith is sound and well established, and he calls us to “supplement” it. He lists a number of factors that are of value to our faith. Some people call it developing our faith muscles, and the process involves applying life’s lessons to our journey in the Kingdom. Of course, this will not be an overnight process, but as we work our way through his list of suggestions, the Holy Spirit will help us.

We pilgrims are perhaps standing on the edge of a spiritual cliff looking into the distance and seeing where we are needing to go. But finding the courage and motivation to take a jump over the edge into what is perhaps uncharted territory for us may be too daunting an ask. Thankfully, God is there holding our hands, urging us on. And we remember that He will never leave us.

Dear Father God. As we venture into unknown territory, please lead and guide us every step of the way. In Jesus’ name. Amen.